Keep your subject line concise, relevant and conversational
LinkedIn recommends using keywords such as:
“Exclusive invitation”
“Connect”
“Opportunities”
“Join us/me”
I’ve personally seen great success using “Join me” in subject lines.
Make sure the sender introduces themselves
This should be done at the start of the message. Communicate a clear purpose that speaks to your audience. Capture their attention and tell them quickly why they should keep reading.
Customize your message by adding custom fields
If you add %FIRSTNAME%, %LASTNAME%, %COMPANYNAME%, %JOBTITLE%, and/or %INDUSTRY%, these macros will dynamically insert the recipient’s first name, last name, company name, job title and/or industry.
If the user has more than one current company or job title, then LinkedIn will populate the recipient’s most recently added company or job title.
Keep your message text below 500 characters
While you can have up to 1,500 characters maximum, try to keep it brief.
Test hyperlinks
While LinkedIn suggests that adding a hyperlink in your message can boost click performance, my experience shows no noticeable impact – though it’s still worth testing.
Always test your message before you go live
Once you’ve created the ad, hit save. Before you review and launch your ad, hit the three dots next to your message ad. You’ll see an option to “Send test message.”
This will be sent directly to your LinkedIn messages. You can see how the message renders, including any custom fields.
Testing is also extra important because once you change your ad status from Draft to Active, the ad can no longer be edited.
What metrics should I look at to evaluate Message Ad performance?
This depends on which objective you use:
Website visits objective
Sends: Number of times your ad was sent (i.e., impressions).
Opens: Number of times your ad was opened (unique opens).
Open rate: The percentage of messages opened compared to the total sent.
Website visits: Number of times someone clicked through your ad to your landing page.
Cost per action (website visit): Total cost divided by the number of website visits.
Click-through rate: Number of clicks divided by total impressions.
Website conversions objective
Sends: Number of times your ad was sent (i.e., impressions).
Opens: Number of times your ad was opened (unique opens).
Open rate: The percentage of messages opened compared to the total sent.
Conversions: Total number of times member accounts took a desired action after clicking on or seeing your ad.
Cost per action (website conversions): Total cost divided by the number of website conversions.
Conversion rate: Number of conversions divided by total clicks.
Lead generation objective
Sends: Number of times your ad was sent (i.e., impressions)
Opens: Number of times your ad was opened (unique opens)
Open rate: The percentage of messages opened compared to the total sent.
Leads: Number of users who have submitted their information through your lead form ad
Cost per lead: Total cost divided by the number of leads.
Lead form completion rate: Number of lead form submissions divided by the number of lead form opens.
Maximize your LinkedIn advertising with Message Ads
LinkedIn Message Ads offer a powerful way to directly engage with your target audience on a professional platform.
By understanding the key components, best practices and performance metrics we’ve discussed, you can create compelling campaigns that resonate with your prospects.
Remember to always test your messages, choose your sender wisely and continuously monitor your performance metrics to optimize your campaigns.
With the right strategy, Message Ads can become a valuable tool in your B2B marketing arsenal, helping you build relationships, generate leads and drive conversions.
Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.